How to Get More Involved in the Digital Art Community From Home
There’s no question that the past few years have been a wild ride for everyone all around the globe. After almost two years of spending more time indoors than we’d probably prefer, we’re also seeing a drastic decrease in public gatherings and events. If you’ve missed the chance to interact with other artists, finding ways to interact with the art community online may be just what you need to reignite that creative spark you’ve been missing.
With everyone spending more time online than ever before, there are also more opportunities to find awesome communities than ever before.
How to Find the Right Digital Art Community for You
If you want to be more involved with a community and other artists, it’s important to find a group of people that is the right fit for you. Otherwise, it can be pretty lonely and alienating to find yourself in a forum where you don’t feel comfortable commenting or participating in discussion and community activities.
A good place to start is identifying communities that share similar interests as you. Is the type of art you are most engaged in more general or very niche?
For example, if you love to try manga-style art, an online community dedicated to traditional watercolor may not offer the type of interaction you are looking for. In the end, you will have to decide if you want to interact with other people who share that interest, or allow yourself to be open to all art mediums and find a community built around those same values.
You Can Find Communities in Unlikely Places
Once you’ve identified the ideal community, it’s time to take to your favorite search engine and start doing some research. The obvious places to look first may be on your favorite social media platform. There are plenty of art communities on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. These types of platforms are great ways to have discussions in comment threads, share pictures, videos, and GIFs and simply interact with other like-minded artists.
But there are lots of other ways to find an art community online. There is a massive art community on YouTube for example. The format of these communities are usually centered around an artist/influencer. They generally post tutorials or videos where they share their own art process. This is a great way to find a good community fit because everyone there has a shared interest in the artist or type of art featured on the channel. Many of these artists host Patreons and Discords, which are ways to interact with the community or show support to the artist.
Don’t forget the value of websites like DeviantArt and ArtStation. While social media is home to everything under the sun, websites like these cater directly to artists. They’re a great way to not only monetize your art but interact with and see other artists’ work.
Participate in Digital Art Classes Online
This is another creative way to find the right art community for you. Not only are you able to learn and improve your skills as an artist, but many communities have grown around online art classes. A great place to find classes that might interest you is Skillshare. They host thousands of courses in all sorts of topics, including art.
Many of the instructors on these sites also offer students access to some form of community, Discord definitely being among the most popular choices. These are great communities for intermediate and beginner artists, as you will connect with many other aspiring artists embarking on their own art journeys. Because you’ve all taken, or are taking, the same course, there is a great chance you will share a lot of the same interests around art.
Learn a New Digital Art Program
This may not seem immediately intuitive, but in the process of learning a new art program, there is a very high chance that you will uncover a new community online in the process. Learning a new digital art program is a challenging thing. You will inevitably find yourself going to the internet to search for answers to your questions. This process is sure to expose you to a new community that’s found a home on the world wide web, whether it’s on a platform we’ve already mentioned or not.
Share Your Work and Participate in Community Events
Once you’ve found a community that interests you, don’t hesitate to dive into the conversation and share your own work too. The joy of online communities is that, when everyone is acting responsibly and civilly, great discussion can happen. When anybody in the community is able to chime in and join a conversation, great conversations are possible that may not have worked in any other setting.
If you notice that the community hosts contests, game jams, or anything of the like, encourage yourself to participate. Not only will you learn and grow as an artist from the experience, but you will also be able to encourage other artists who participate as well, whether it’s through feedback or simply leaving a nice comment saying how much you love a piece of art they’ve created.
Daz 3D Is Home to a Robust and Supportive Community of 3D Artists
Here at Daz 3D, we’re home to a massive online community of 3D artists of all levels and expertise. Our free to use software, Daz Studio, has brought together a global network of users who together generate millions of 3D renders every year. We think you’ll be hard pressed to find a more supportive art community.
Artists interact with each other everyday through our forum, where anyone can ask questions, talk about features, or anything else you’d like related to 3D art and Daz Studio! We also host a Gallery where users are able to post their renders to share with the broader community. Users can like, comment, and share each other’s personal galleries. This is an excellent way to get inspired and offer support to fellow artists.
If you are new to the Daz community, welcome. We hope you’ll find it as welcoming a home to your creativity and passion as so many of our artists have as well! Download Daz Studio for free and start creating today!
Featured image: “Evening Falls as the Last Ship Leaves” by Kibosh in the Daz Gallery
